What a character!
Which character is most emotionally impacted by the injustices that occur in the novel?
Jem Finch
(Becomes angry and resentful as he witnesses unfairness and poor treatment of others)
Identify 2 events that serve as foreshadowing of Bob Ewell’s attack on the Finch children.
1. Bob saying he's "gonna make him [Atticus] pay"
2. The prowler outside Judge Taylor's house
3. Bob's harassment of Helen Robinson
What is the name of the boy that spends summers with Scout and Jem?
Dill
Why does Jem become increasingly hostile toward Scout throughout the novel?
Jem is maturing and seeing the unfairness in Maycomb more quickly than Scout is.
Why does Nathan Radley fill the tree hole with cement?
To prevent Boo Radley from interacting with people in the neighborhood.
Explain the primary way in which Miss Maudie is different from most others in Maycomb.
She is more tolerant and empathetic.
She does not gossip as others do.
Lee includes several moments where Atticus tells his children to put themselves “in someone’s shoes” to emphasize the theme of:
A. loss of innocence
B. purity of childhood
C. importance of empathy
C. importance of empathy
What is the name of Scout’s teacher in Part 1 AND why does Scout get in trouble with her teacher?
Miss Caroline
She gets in trouble for learning how to read and write outside of school. She also gets in trouble for trying to explain to Miss Caroline why Walter Cunningham won't accept her lunch money.
Why does Bob Ewell attack Scout and Jem?
He is angry that he has lost credibility in town after the trial. He is also angry at Atticus for defending a black man instead of believing Bob's word, which violates the unspoken social code of Maycomb.
This character unexpectedly pays Atticus for legal work with hickory nuts and produce, demonstrating pride despite poverty.
Walter Cunningham Sr.
What event causes Scout and Jem to start viewing Boo Radley as a human being?
Tom Robinson's trial
Lee's description of the moments before Bob attacks the children as Scout hearing, "his [Jem's] breath coming easily besides me. Occasionally there was a sudden breeze that hit by bare legs, but it was all that remained of a promised windy night. This was the stillness before a thunderstorm" establishes an ______ mood of:
A. sorrowful
B. ominous
C. violent
B. ominous
Words like, "sudden," "stillness before a thunderstorm" give the reader a sense that something bad is about to happen.
What is the name of the rabid dog that Atticus shoots?
Tim Johnson
Why does Atticus make Jem read to Mrs. Dubose every day for a month?
To teach Jem the importance of empathizing with others of "fighting the battle" even when you know you'll lose (Mrs. Dubose's morphine addiction).
What is the purpose of Miss Maudie's character in the story?
Reinforce the lessons Atticus teaches his children and serve as a voice of reason against the prejudiced perspectives of the townspeople.
What is the purpose of Aunt Alexandra’s character in TKAM?
To show the traditional racist and intolerant perspective held by many people in the South in the 1930s.
Lee uses a 6 year old narrator to give her firsthand account of Tom Robinson’s case to illustrate the theme of:
A. loss of innocence
B. purity of childhood
C. importance of empathy
A. loss of innocence
Scout becomes more aware of the racism, violence, and unfairness of her world and is unable to maintain her childish ignorance by the end of the story.
Name TWO (2) things Miss Maudie and Atticus cite as reasons to be hopeful for the future of Maycomb.
1. Judge Taylor assigning Atticus to Tom's case.
2. The jury taking a long time to come back with a verdict.
3. The respect the black community shows Atticus after Tom's trial
Author’s purpose: why did Harper Lee have Tom Robinson not only lose his trial but die trying to escape his imprisonment?
To show how impossible it was at the time for a black man in American to receive true justice.
What is the FULL NAME of the author of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Harper Lee
Explain TWO (2) of Mayella Ewell’s primary motivations for her false accusation of and testimony against Tom Robinson.
1. Fear of her father who is likely forcing her to go along with a story he has created about what happened.
2. Guilt over her attraction to Tom.
3. Pressure to conform to race and gender expectations of the time.
Harper Lee uses this literary device when she presents the town’s prejudice as a “disease” Atticus hopes his children won’t catch.
Metaphor
Who leads the lynch mob that comes for Tom Robinson at the jail and what causes the lynch mob to disperse?
Walter Cunningham Sr leads the mob.
The mob disperses when Scout starts talking to Walter about his son, which makes the men feel ashamed of what they were coming to do.
Why does Heck Tate insist Bob Ewell "fell on his knife" despite knowing the truth?
He wants to protect Boo Radley and believes that Bob Ewell has met his karmic end and received "justice" by being killed by Boo in an act of self-defense.
Name TWO (2) aspects of Harper Lee's real life that are mirrored in To Kill a Mockingbird.
1. Grew up in Alabama in the 1930s (Monroeville = Maycomb)
2. Father was a prominent lawyer
3. She was a tomboy as a child (similar to Scout)
4. Witnessed segregation and deep racism throughout her childhood